The Three Steps
by burnttea
Summary: My plan is split into 3 simple steps: Set the mood, enchant her and finally, go in for the kill. Kataang. Modern AU. Rated for safety and characters are older.


I don't own Avatar.

I do not think my lungs are functioning properly because I can scarcely breathe. Just a year ago, I had finally gathered enough guts to ask the blue-eyed beauty for an official date. I could barely even eat on our first date and my blood-pumping muscle nearly suffered a heart-attack. I fumble with the small delicately made ring in my hand. I admire the craftwork of the ring, it is platinum silver that holds three gems of diamond.

My iphone rings out, and I check the caller ID. My heart pumps twice the speed than before. It is **her** who is calling. Even after a year of smooth dating, my apprehension for each outing seems to increase bit by bit. I excitedly press the accept button and greet the caller.

The voice zealously replies, "_Hey honey! I'm so sorry but I might be late because traffic here is horrible, some idiot had crashed with the oncoming traffic. So I'll be there in less than an hour…hopefully._"

"_It's alright! Good thing too, now I'll have ti__me to clean up the penthouse.__" _I smirk at the thought of having her over and engaged in a tongue wrestle on the couch.

She dryly laughs, "_Very funny. I got to go now!_" I hear her blow a kiss in the phone and my lips widen in a full-scale smile. She loves sentimentality. So my proposal will not be the usual dinner-date proposal. My plan is split into 3 simple steps: Set the mood, enchant her and finally, go in for the kill.

---

Topless and in only a pair of sweatpants; the current time is 9:57 pm. She should be here in few minutes, she had an errand that needed to be dealt with before she can come. Lifting my hand, I airbend the ring to float and dance around in my palm. Suddenly, a jingle of keys catches my attention. I see the lock on the door twisting. I catch the ring and promptly stuff it down my side pocket. Then a slim figure slides in and walks towards me with an alluring smile. Her hands smoothly encircle my neck and pull me down. A gentle **long** gentle kiss is played and my arms wrap her close to me. I stare intensely in her eyes and **sensuously** rubbing circles on her back.

_**Ok, so step one is complete.**_

Our foreheads are in contact and she says, "_Baby, I'm so sorry that I'm late, the hospital is running short and so I have no—_" I silence her with a simple kiss.

I let go and lead her to a lounge chair. She sits down with a suspicious look and observes the surroundings: a white bathrobe on a hanger laid on the side, a pair of fluffy slippers, a small tub of warm water, nice-smelling lit candles, a night stand on the side with varieties of ointments, most of all a **toned topless **man that is standing in front of her. She grabs the bathrobe and shoots a glare at me, "_Am I suppose to wear this?_"

I timidly smile back, "_yes_?"

"Pervert…" she mumbles away.

A minute later, she arrives back donned in the fluffy white robe, and she looks absolutely luscious in the clothing (_especially since the robe gives a generous view of cleavage_). My wandering eyes admire her from head to toe but she clears her throat to catch my attention. I blush for being caught red-handed, I quickly reply in a mannered British accent, "_Madam, would you like to have your massage now_?" My eyebrows wriggle to accent my indications.

She giggles at my poor performance, and stretches out on the long lounge chair while I place a blindfold on her. She questions the reason for the blindfold, and I state, "_Just feel, don't listen or look_." I crouch down and sit comfortably on a short stool. My hands glide over her soft and velvety feet. She squirms under my touch and I delicately apply my skills in reflexology. The oil-covered hands rub and knead, and she quietly **moans** in appreciation. I smirk and chuckle in satisfaction of my work; it is rare to see the waterbending master to **quiver** in **delight**.

_**Step number two is complete.**_

Now, I am entirely prepared to astonish her. My hands reach into my side pocket to reach for the ring while my other hand is occupied with the feet. My eyes goes wide open when there was no ring to be found in my side pocket! I explore the other pocket: and nothing is there. I check my initial pocket and discover that there is a **hole** in the pocket. **SHIT**.

She notices my abrupt change in rhythm in rubbing, "_What are you doing_?"

I quickly stutter out, "_No-nothing. Just relax_."

As of now, step number three is experiencing some difficulties. I fight the frustration down; I continue to massage her feet whilst twisting my head everywhere to find the misplaced ring. A glitter of reflected light captures my attention, in an illuminated candle lit room; shiny metals can easily flicker under the radiance. The ring is **adjacent** to her; on the floor; right under the tall stool with all the oils and such.

"_Yes_!"

She remains to be enchanted by the massage and unaware of what am I attempting to do. The tub of water is by my feet, using my index finger, a string of liquid slithers out of the tub. A flick of a digit and the water string jerks forward. The retrieval was almost a success, but the pager on the tall stool **beeps** at full volume. Unfortunately that pager belongs to her, and only rings when there is urgency at the hospital. She **lifts** the blindfold; and I am panicking as the ring is still on the ground; right before her and if she sees it, the surprise will be ruined! She starts to **lean** over to reach for the small forsaken electronic.

"_Damn it_!"

Out of pure desperation, my arms flings forward, the stool flips over from the imbalance of my weight and my entire body hurls on the ring. Unfortunately, the fall causes the tub to splash all over the woman, my shin came in full contact with the edge of the lounge chair and so it hurts like hell, and finally I over-shot my jump and knocked the tall chair over; knocking all the bottles down. "_Ugh_…"

Silence fills the room and the atmosphere feels like…a balloon that's about to pop under immense pressure. She gawks at me as though I am an idiot. Embarrassingly, I shuffle back to my short stool after I quickly place the bottles back. I notice she had caught the damned pager when I had crashed into the stool. Her eyebrow raised and her voice is in an apprehensive tone, "_What was that?!"_

An excuse is just what I need right now, the killing look that she is giving me is causing me to stammer, "_Uh…um…It's a special occasion…and you're off work, so you shouldn't be answering that thingy anyway. So that's why I jumped to…get the pager from you!"_ I scratch my chin. That is the worst lie I have ever told.

_"I can't believe I'm dating such a weirdo; incredibly sweet but weird_." She reaches over and pinches my cheek then smirks, "_Now continue_." She straightens her long smooth legs and snuggles back into the comfort of the leather lounge chair. I continue as the masseur.

"_So…who was__ it__And__ why didn't __you __leave right away to the hospital?"_ I know that I sounded like a nosey boyfriend but my curiosity is gnawing me away.

"_It was nothing urgent, just some co-workers that wanted wish me_…" My mind completely tunes out her voice and my conscience is arguing to interrupt her and propose. For this time, the ring is carefully placed under the chair; in front of my knees. The symptoms of hyperventilation are occurring and my heart is beating with twice the velocity as ever before. My anxiety and my uncertainty of rejection hover at the tip of my mind. Nauseously, I wait until she pulls the blindfold down to her eyes.

Now, step three can finally make its finale.

She continues her story about her long day at work. I slowly slide the slim ring on her left foot's fourth toe. (_This is so awkward but funny_). Her talking diminishes to a whisper then to nothing. She lifts her blindfold and stares intently at her toe. I stand up and slowly walk to her and lower my head; my lips very close to her ear.

"_Happy birthday __Katara_"

She pauses, and she slides the ring off of her toe. I watch a theatre of emotions that is radiating off of Katara's beautiful face. She first stares at the ring with shock then a grin, and lastly she sheds a single tear. The waterbender smoothly slips the ring in its rightful place, her left hand's ring finger. Suddenly, Katara's hand hooks on to my neck and pulls me down; staring face to face; eye to eye.

Her brilliant azure eyes are glazed and her mouth is angled with a smirk. "_Promise me to give more of these…massaging sessions_?"

"_Dea__—_"

I had intended to say "_Deal_" before Katara tugs and goes in for a heavenly kiss, I delve deeper within, and my position is currently on top of her. Her arms enclose around my neck and my arms have already made their way through the bathrobe.

_**Step three is finally complete. **_

---

Well, the action did not conclude on the lounge chair, it had led all the way to the bedroom. Sleep did not come till many hours later.

"_God, I __**lo**__**ve**__ my fiancée__!"_


End file.
